KalWest Interior Loppet Series starts off with a bang

It was all smiles last Saturday at the 33rd annual Reino Keski-Salmi Loppet classic ski racing event, hosted beneath clear blue skies at the Larch Hills ski area.

The community’s love and dedication to the sport was evident in the 250 volunteers that braved the cold and made the event possible. The race also serves as a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke foundation, donating over $400,000 throughout its 33 year history.

Almost 450 skiers from all over B.C., Alberta and even as far as the Yukon were up with the sun, testing out their wax in the -17 degree temperatures. The race was the first of five in the KalWest series, which includes upcoming loppets in Kelowna, Kamloops, Rossland and Vernon.

Kicking off at 9am with the 17 and 34km race events, energy was high as the air horn sounded and the pack of racers shot off the line. As a multi-generational event, over half the participants were under the age of 18, highlighting the increasing popularity of the sport within younger generations. The youngest competitors, some just three-year-old, also took part in a 1km loop.

Larch Hills racers took the top spot in both the men’s and women’s races, with Thomas Hardy coming in at 1:38:52 and former international competitor Alysson Hamilton at 2:05:18.

Kelowna’s Telemark Nordic representatives showed up in true form as well, with Loic Letailleur, Jeff Sherstobitoff, Andrew Johnson, Gary Wade, David Urness, Amanda Kosmerly, Alison Campbell Urness, and Bill Stephens all placing within the top 10 of their respective age divisions.

With our turn to host coming up next weekend, the Telemark Nordic Society is preparing for the 31st annual Kelowna Apple Loppet Sunday, January 29. With a slightly different approach, racers can choose to complete the 30km race individually, or as a two-person relay.

Back again this year will also be the ‘race within a race,’ with awards for the overall King and Queen of the Mountain (1 km classic hill climb), and the KamikazHe and KamikazShe run (1.5 km free downhill).

Check out Telemark’s website for more information, and to register or volunteer.